MD Weather: Storm To Dump Up To 3 Inches Rain, Flash Flood Watch

BALTIMORE, MD — Brace yourself for damp basements and poor driving conditions: Heavy downpours could dump up to 3 inches of rain on much of Maryland by Friday, forecasters say. There's only one day out of the next seven that that National Weather Service doesn't expect rain to fall in the Baltimore region. A flash flood watch for the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. region, along with northern Virginia, will take effect at 1 p.m. Thursday and run through 7 a.m. Friday.

Periods of heavy rain will begin Wednesday night and linger until Friday night, according to the National Weather Service. The downpours will hit hardest on Thursday with 2 to 3 inches of rain predicted, said forecasters.

Rain will continue steadily until about 8 p.m. Friday, but then the weather will dry up for a sunny Saturday with highs in the mid 40s, according to the NWS.

The flood watch includes Baltimore, Prince George's, Anne Arundel, Montgomery, Howard and Harford counties, plus the cities of Baltimore, Bowie, College Park, Greenbelt, Laurel, Glen Burnie, Annapolis, Severn, South Gate, Severna Park, Arnold, Odenton, Bethesda, Rockville, Gaithersburg, Silver Spring, Columbia, Ellicott City, and Aberdeen.

National Weather Service forecasters said that from Thursday afternoon through Friday morning multiple rounds of rainfall will drench the region, with the heaviest rainfall potential Thursday afternoon and evening.

Storm total rainfall amounts through Friday morning are expected to range between 2 and 3 inches.

"A strong cold front with a deep surge of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico ahead of it, fueling multiple rounds of heavy rain and thunderstorms, especially from the central Gulf Coast to the southern Appalachians and Mid-Atlantic region" is approaching the state, the National Weather Service said. "Rainfall totals through Friday morning are expected to be on the order of 2 to 4 inches from the Florida Panhandle to New Jersey."

Chances for rain return Saturday night through Tuesday, the service said.

And for anyone traveling to western Maryland, a Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for western Allegheny County from 6 p.m. Wednesday through 6 a.m. Thursday. Ice accumulations around one to two tenths of an inch are possible; bridges and overpasses could be icy.

Here's what to expect in the days ahead:

Wednesday: A chance of showers before 2pm, then a chance of rain, mainly after 5pm. Cloudy, with a high near 41. North wind 8 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Wednesday Night: Periods of rain, mainly after 7pm. Low around 36. Northeast wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Thursday: Rain. High near 60. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Thursday Night: Rain. Low around 48. Light and variable wind becoming southwest around 5 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.

Friday: Rain. High near 52. West wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 11 to 16 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Friday Night: Rain likely before 8pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 33. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 42.

Saturday Night: A chance of rain and snow after 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Sunday: A chance of rain and snow before 8am. Partly sunny, with a high near 45. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 34.